Recovery Support Centre Open in Middleton

More addiction recovery supports are now available for people living in the Annapolis Valley area who have a substance use or gambling disorder.

The Wellness and Withdrawal Management Program at Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Middleton will now offer better links to care based on people’s individual needs.

The Middleton Recovery Support Centre provides in-person assessments, outpatient withdrawal management, and recovery support programming, including one-on-one and group supports. It will also connect people to other levels of care – such as community mental health and addictions clinics, inpatient withdrawal management or opioid recovery programs – if needed.

“Nova Scotians living with addictions need more supports closer to home,” said Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health. “The reopening of this centre under the new care model will further strengthen the supports for those with substance and gambling addictions.”

The centre is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including a nurse practitioner, physician, nurses, social workers, counsellors, an occupational therapist and administrative staff.

People can drop into the centre for services or make an appointment by calling 902-825-0207, Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. People can also call the Mental Health and Addictions Intake Service at 1-855-922-1122, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. Referrals will also come through family physicians, emergency departments and community mental health and addiction clinics.

This is the third centre to open under the new recovery support centre model. The first opened in Dartmouth in January and the second in New Glasgow in February. In total, 10 recovery support centres will be set up across the province over the next two years. Four more existing withdrawal management sites in Lunenburg, Strait-Richmond, Sydney and Yarmouth will evolve to the provincial model. New centres will also be set up in Truro, North Sydney and Halifax.

Quotes:

“We have come one step closer with the recovery support centre model coming to Middleton to our goal of providing quality care for people with substance use disorders no matter where they live in Nova Scotia. The way we care for people with addictive disorders continues to evolve as new research comes to light and our care models should always reflect current science.”

– Dr. Dave Martell, Physician Lead, Addictions Medicine, Mental Health and Addictions Program, Nova Scotia Health

Quick Facts:

• in Budget 2022-23, the Province committed $1.7 million to set up the new recovery support centres in Dartmouth, Truro, North Sydney and Halifax over two years
• since January, the Dartmouth and New Glasgow centres have supported more than 300 Nova Scotians
• the New Glasgow centre expanded services in June to include recovery support programming, such as recovery skills groups and one-on-one support

Additional Resources:

More information on recovery support centres is available at: https://mha.nshealth.ca/en/services/recovery-support-centre

Mandate letter for the Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-CNS-AMH-Youth.pdf

Action for Health, the government's strategic plan to improve healthcare in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/docs/action-for-health-strategic-plan-for-nova-scotia.pdf

NOTE: The types of care to which the centre may connect people was updated August 4.